Unreinen

Unreinen is a term used in some Germanic-language contexts to denote “the impure” or “the unclean.” In scholarly and historical writing, unreinen (or die Unreinen) can refer to persons or things judged ritually or morally impure within a particular tradition. The word derives from the adjective unreinen or unreiner, meaning not pure.

In religious law and ritual practice, concepts of purity and impurity are common across many traditions. The idea of distinguishing clean from unclean objects or people helps regulate access to sacred spaces and actions. In German-language translations and discussions of such purity norms, unreinen is sometimes used to describe those categorized as ritually impure, alongside more specific terms drawn from Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or ethnographic studies. In Dutch-language scholarship, the closest equivalents are onrein or onreinen, which serve a similar explanatory function in historical and religious contexts.

Scholarly usage of the term is typically descriptive, aiming to analyze how purity boundaries shape social interaction, exclusion, and ritual practice. The category “the impure” is often employed to explore boundaries between insiders and outsiders, or between legitimate and prohibited activities within a community.

Modern use of unreinen is relatively rare in everyday language. Contemporary discussions more often specify the type of impurity (ritual, physical, or moral) or reference particular religious or cultural frameworks. As a result, unreinen usually appears in historical, theological, or ethnographic writings rather than in current everyday speech.